Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@nooch 4 really great whiskies! It’s hard to pick the best between them....

@nooch I don't think it's short-sighted or unattainable to set goals to limit whisky purchasing.

I don't know if it's that the LCBO has a lame selection or other factors but I've had no difficulties so far this year. Until yesterday, the only new bottle that joined my collection this year was one I received in a trade in which my collection gave up a sealed bottle in return.

Last year I was able to "cook the books" by opening a couple of bottles to make room for new ones to be purchased. This year I'm tightening the screws by limiting the number of open bottles I have. Next year will be even tighter because many of my almost empty bottles will have been finished and replaced with fuller open bottles.

Yesterday my B-I-L surprised me with a bottle of Wiser's Red Letter as an early birthday present. He brought it in addition to 2 others he acquired for another fellow Connosr. I think he sensed some FOMO in me as we watch the last few remaining bottles in stores disappear.

This represents my first new acquisition in 2018, and puts my collection on par with Dec. 31 2017. It means I'll need to make careful choices about what is important to pick up, and this will trickle down to encouraging me to finish what I have open so that I can open new bottles (and so acquire more new ones).

These self-imposed limitations (I wish I could do this with food) achieve 2 positive goals. I think it makes the hobby more fun, and it also saves me money by avoiding impulse purchases. Though I have to admit I haven't really seen a change in bank account levels...

@Nozinan Sounds like a fine strategy. You're doing very well only adding one bottle in 2018. Most of my whisky is bought in March every year. Thats when i go up to Scotland for the annual whisky tasting trip. I usually pick up about 6 to 8 bottles when i'm up there and then a few when I get back as I find I get inspired by the trip. I don't then tend to buy much at all year. I usually have quite a few samples to get through too.

I'd be interested to know how many bottles a year people purchase? And how many bottles people have in their collection? I now have maybe 6 opened bottles and 15 unopened bottles.

@Barnbip Great choices. The Longrow 18 has been on my list for a while.

@nooch, your whisky budget is WAY TOO SMALL! You'll only create problems for yourself by being so tight-fisted with your whisky expenditure. Perhaps you should lower the bar in other areas of your life. The Glenlivet 21 YO is one that I enjoy, a lot! .

Don't listen to @Nozinan, he hardly drinks any of his whisky and needs help to get rid of what he has. ...oops!...that was intended to be an internal conversation.

@Nickh, how many bottles of whisk(e)y bought and how big the collection? I am trying to keep purchases near zero now because we have maybe 300 bottles total, 100 of them opened...and because any new bottle either becomes 'opened bottle # 101' or waits in a queue for several years to be opened. Under these and all other circumstances swapping samples with friends is the name of the game. There is little readily accessible and affordable whisk(e)y I haven't yet tried and little new that impresses me as much as 150 of the bottles we currently own.

What would I get excited about acquiring? Just a handful of bottles: Octomore Orpheus 2.2, HP25, Glenlivet 21 Archive, and a couple of bottles I have tasted in the past but am never likely to see at a price below $ 2,000. On the easier and cheaper side, I'd like to get a bottle of Amrut Portonova and some Nikka From the Barrel. A Canadian Connosr friend is also currently holding a bottle of Glenfarclas 15 for me, because that one is a favourite of mine not sold in the US and it is a felony crime to receive a shipment of spirits into Maryland. Like @Nozinan with his collection, I could drink from our current collection for 30 years. One more I'd love to have: another bottle of is Jameson 12 yo Special Reserve. I just found out it has been discontinued. Such a pity!

@Nozinan Noble goals to be sure. I have a sister in Calgary, so the vast majority of my purchases are made there or on the occasions once or twice a year I can take advantage of duty free. In the last 3 years I think I’ve bought 3-4 bottles via the LCBO. They don’t have the pricing or selection to tempt me. A major Calgary retailer is having a sale this weekend with as much as 25% off. The fact I can access that sale makes self control difficult. I suppose the best policy is to not buy another bottle until X number have been put to sleep. I have about 10 bottles open right now and another 15 on the shelf. I don’t NEED more whisky at all. It’s just so darn tempting!

@Victor love your shortlist. The amrut and HP25 are high in my list too, although I fear the 25 is financially unattainable for me. I got the HP21 for $80 off In the fall. I guess I’ll have to ‘settle’ for that!

@nooch, yes, a lot of the good stuff one could get under $ 300 in 2010 has become extremely expensive. I've only tasted two whiskies which I would consider to justify over $ 300 per bottle for drinking purposes, and those are the ones which would cost over $ 2,000 now. Highland Park 25 yo I love because I have tasted it more than once. I expect if I ever get one it is likely to be via bottle trade.

I noticed that wine-searcher.com lists no Talisker 18 yo in the nation of Canada. We have scores of bottles of it here in Montgomery County Maryland, but the price is (US) $ 167.85, including the tax.

@Victor when I was in Scotland in August I looked Talisker 18 in every shop I went into. No dice. Apparently I just had to go to Maryland!

@nooch ironically I can walk in to a shop here in little old NZ and buy a bottle off the shelf - but many other bottles are unobtainable

Replenished my Wild Turkey 101...why? Cause it's only $38 and damn tasty.

@Victor That was an interesting read Victor. 100 open bottles.. thats more than most bars! Understandable that with so many bottles and having tasted so much that one gets a little choosy about new acquisitions. Do you have a room set aside to store your whisky?

Interesting you mention Amrut Portonova. I've just finished a bottle of Quinta Ruban which I really enjoyed. It was my first taste of port finished whisky. Would be intrigued to try the Amrut offering.

@Nickh I have always considered the Portonova to be a Quinta Ruban on steroids. I haven't come back to it in a while (too many open bottles) and I suspect that as my palate has matured, my appreciation this malt would be even greater.

@Nickh, I wish I had a dedicated whisk(e)y room. As it is I have bottles stored on three different floors of the house. Some day, I hope, there will be the opportunity to put it all together in one place...or at least the opportunity to put all of the open bottles together at one bar storage area.

Port makes a wonderful finish, if it avoids sulphur contamination. My one bottle of Quinta Ruban was chaotic at first and for about 10 months, then came together quite well and has remained very good. Despite having to wait for that particular bottle I would definitely be willing to buy Quinta Ruban again. Several years ago there were other Connosr members who had similar problems/issues with Quinta Ruban. Batches vary. Glenmorangie Lasanta had for years been horribly sulplhured. Then some years later I tasted from a batch that was quite clean of sulplhur and wonderful. I do think that Quinta Ruban justifies taking the chance of a purchase. Amrut Portonova is very thick and meaty, a much denser texture, flavour density, and ABV than Glenmo Quinta Ruban. If you like your flavours laid on thick you can love Portonova. I've only had one or two tastes of it, but I am sure that I would come to love that bottle.

My sister had an Alchemist Springbank 10 yo in port cask which was out of this world. That one is long gone and now a rare bottle.

If you can smell and taste sulphur then stay far away from Glen Moray Port Cask Finish. If you are not sensitive to sulphur you will probably like it.

@Victor, in five weeks I'll be chasing a bottle of that Tali.

I just “bought” an Ardbeg Corryvreckan (thanks to @Nozinan ) and a Laphroaig Cairdeas 2016 Madeira Cask. Or, I guess I should say, I finally got them home safe and sound.

@OdysseusUnbound It should be noted that I can only take credit for delivering the Ardbeg to Ontario. The Laphroaig made its way to you without my help.

@Nozinan My brother may be helping me in a similar way soon. He’s likely headed to Amsterdam for the May 2-4 weekend. I’m hoping he can find me a Laphroaig Brodir, Laphroaig PX Cask, Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength or a Laphroaig Lore at the duty free/travel retail...

Without prior planning, I accidentally ended up at the KGBO today and purchased a bottle of J.P. Wiser’s Dissertation. My FORO is strong where Dissertation is concerned. I really love this whisky. I may buy another one before the week is over.

Little bit excited about this. It was on a wish list for quite awhile and, after coming into a wee bit of a bonus, I figured it was time to pull the trigger.

@nooch, I would be very excited about that acquisition. Congratulations!

@nooch, I'm a big fan of Glenlivet 21 Archive. My inventory is dwindling and I wonder when the next bottle enters the cabinet. It was four years between the last two bottles. Cheers!

@nooch I've only ever had a small sample of this from a friend several years ago. As I recall it was quite stunning. Unfortunately, by the time I got around to thinking I should have a bottle about a year and a half ago, the price had gone sky high. I bought a bottle of Glenmo 18 instead at a very good price and it was quite outstanding too. Now all gone and replacement also very pricey. Gotta wait for the next Alberta run.

@casualtorture @Nozinan @BlueNote

Well, you guys, you might remember one of my posts on the "What is the next bottle you purchase or open," thread, and I mentioned that I was going to save my money for my trip to Tokyo. I couldn't resist when I saw this 16yo Nadurra Batch No. 1109I.

Why? If I have to answer this, people must be new to my posts regarding my obesession about the 16yo Nadurra. HA!

Proof of purchase, I will add a picture. I just got today.

@ajjarrett Nice one. You can't go wrong.

@BlueNote That's what I thought when I got it. Ha. I didn't have any 'buyer's remorse' with this one.

Picked up 3 x Springbank 10.

They were slightly reduced to clear but the older bottling of mid-late 2015.

@nooch , @Victor, @paddockjudge Did I find a bargain at the SAQ??? After reading your posts about the Glenlivet Archive 21 yo, I checked the price at the SAQ.

And the price is...

$200,25! Canadian dollars! The equivalent of $156 USD!

I usually draw the line at $150 CAD, but you have me wondering if I should...

How good is it?

@Robert99 I have never seen a price like that for that whisky. In my research o found the lcbo to be competitive. That price is crazy. BUY IT. BUY IT NOW!